Mount Vernon, Clinton, Winthrop women indicted on theft charges

AUGUSTA — A Mount Vernon woman is accused of embezzling more than $10,000 from Hannaford supermarket in Gardiner, and two other women from Clinton and Winthrop have been indicted on charges they defrauded public assistance programs.

Those indictments and others were handed up Friday by a Kennebec County Superior Court grand jury.

An indictment does not determine guilt, but that there is enough evidence to proceed with formal charges and a trial.

Reta A. Patterson, 43, has been indicted on a charge of theft by unauthorized taking, which accused her of stealing more than $10,000 from the supermarket between Nov. 1, 2012, and May 13. She is scheduled for a hearing in Kennebec County Superior Court next week, and her attorney, Lisa Whittier, said Tuesday that Patterson intends to plead not guilty. She said Patterson worked at the supermarket for more than 20 years and was a bookkeeper there.

Eric Blom, spokesman for Hannaford Supermarkets, referred all questions about Patterson to law enforcement authorities, saying it was an issue before the courts.

Wendy S. Dow, 43, of Clinton is charged with one count of theft by deception and five counts of unsworn falsification related to such programs as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program, the Additional Support for People in Retraining and Employment Program and the MaineCare program. According to the indictment, the deception resulted in a theft in excess of $10,000 between April 1, 2009, and June 30, 2012 when Dow claimed — falsely, according to the state — that she had no income.

Dow also is accused of signing written documents on five dates between Oct. 13, 2010, and April 27, 2012, claiming she had no income and that she had a child, now 15, living in her household.

A phone number for Dow was not in service on Tuesday. According to a court clerk, Dow will be summoned to court to respond to the charges.

In a separate indictment, Crystal Hodsdon, 32, of Winthrop was indicted on two counts of theft by deception. In one charge, Hodsdon is accused of receiving benefits from the MaineCare program worth more than $10,000 between May 1, 2009, and April 30, 2013, by claiming her two minor children lived with her when they did not. Hodsdon too will be summoned to court. No phone contact or lawyer was available for her.

In the second charge, she is accused of receiving benefits from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Jan. 19-Feb. 16, 2010, by falsely claiming her two minor children lived with her.

An Acton man, Richard Weymouth, 66, was charged in a superseding indictment with 25 counts of tax fraud. He had previously pleaded not guilty to 23 of those charges. The superseding indictment includes 15 counts of intentional evasion of income tax, six counts of failure to pay tax, two counts of failure to make and file Maine income tax returns and one count each of unsworn falsification and false homestead exemption filing. According to the indictment, the offenses occurred between 2006 and April 16, 2013. A number of other people were indicted on various charges:

â¢ Nathan L. Liberty, 36, of Waterville, three counts of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs Aug. 9-Sept. 12; theft by unauthorized taking and burglary of a motor vehicle June 16, all in Waterville.

â¢ Todd E. Lunt, 37, of Chelsea, aggravated forgery, operating after revocation, failure to stop for an officer, failure to give correct name Dec. 3, 2012; and unlawful possession of scheduled drugs and criminal forfeiture of $2,128 on Aug. 13, all in Augusta; operating after revocation, violation of condition of release and unlawful possession of scheduled drugs Sept. 3 in Chelsea.

â¢ Shane Leslie Wood, 46, of Vassalboro, three counts each of domestic violence assault and violation of condition of release, two counts each of domestic violence terrorizing and criminal restraint, and one count each of refusing to submit to arrest July 7-Sept. 8 in Vassalboro.

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